(Waco) Texas State Technical College is in the process of notifying its employees that their personal information may have been exposed to unauthorized access by a server vulnerability that has since been contained. It is very early in the investigative process, and as more information is revealed from the computer forensic investigation, the College will provide further updates.

In an abundance of caution, TSTC will be offering a year-long premium identity theft protection at no cost to employees. Employees have also been sent a letter and given recommended steps to protect themselves against potential misuse of personal information.

"We deeply regret this situation and are taking steps to protect our employees who may be at risk from this vulnerability, " said Chancellor Reeser.

TSTC IT analysts are actively working with federal law enforcement agencies in the investigation of this unauthorized access. As more information is revealed from the computer forensic investigation, we will provide updates.

"Based on forensic analysis to date, there is no indication that any of the data on the machine was actually stolen - only that the opportunity for someone to access it existed," said Chancellor Michael L. Reeser. "We felt it was essential to notify our employees of the incident and its inherent risk," Reeser added.

"The college wants to be sure individuals are aware of the situation so they can carefully monitor their financial records for unauthorized activity over the next several months," said college spokesperson Eliska Smith. "Our IT team are doing their best to protect against future intrusions," said Smith.

The college has human resource representatives around the system available to answer employee questions. Additionally, answers to frequently asked questions are being posted at www.tstc.edu/systemoffice/datarisk. This page will be updated as the computer forensic investigation reveals further information.

###

About TSTC

Texas State Technical College (www.tstc.edu) consists of four technical colleges with campuses in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood, Harlingen, Hutto, Ingleside, Marshall, Red Oak, Richmond, Sweetwater, and Waco. TSTC is the only college in America to adopt a funding model based entirely on student employment outcomes - aligning with its purpose of strengthening Texas with a highly skilled, technically competent workforce. The college System will celebrate 50 years of service to the State of Texas in 2015.